The Steam Machine is the highly anticipated console/PC system from the gaming masterminds at Valve, the software house responsibly for a number of hugely popular titles, perhaps most notably the Half-Life franchise. It runs SteamOS, an open-source Linux-based operating system, and will support loads of games in the Steam catalogue. (And still more are, obviously, on the way.)

Given the open source nature of the OS and the ease with which users can get inside the box and re-jigger its components to their hearts’ content, the Steam Machine looks to be a hacker’s dream come true.

First of all, the packaging is awesome.

The Steam Machine is an understated yet elegant-looking device.

The controller follows the same aesthetic. Let's tear it open!

It makes use of an NXP LPC11U37F microcontroller to interpret all the user input.

The box's case is held together with a single screw. Loosen it and it opens up rather effortlessly.

Check out the 1 TB Seagate hard drive -- plenty of storage space for games and other data.